A Monk's tale

Colligendis arte

This diary, written in fine, stylized draconic characters and common writing in yellowed parchment bound in a leather cover adorned with carved bone, describes the scientific process which was in development in the necrolatory.

This long dissertation, apparently written by the dark adept, was botched by spilled liquid on the first three pages and is barely readable. However, the remaining content thoroughly explains his process of experimentation with humanoid organs and limbs, as well as the successful creation and vivification of a thrull.

Although the whole tome is of great importance, some notes catch your eye:

(…)“One of the aspects I find more fascinating about vivificaton is that the part counts more than the whole. All our attempts to vivify a whole body, even that of a child, have failed. But in contrast, we are able to keep some body parts alive outside of their host bodies for some hours before they cease to function. Hearts beating, muscles twitching, heads blinking… only if we knew how to keep lungs breathing…”

(…)“I have read the reports of Trokair’s adept and, on his necrolatory he uses minor cure potions as a vivification elixir. Using such elixir, my colleague has managed to extend the function of a beating heart for about ten to twelve hours after before decomposition took place. He had hypothesized that a stronger cure potion could extend its function even longer, but he lacked the means to test it.

Although the merit for this discovery is not truly mine, I felt somewhat proud when I announced to my colleaghes that this hypothesis was true. Lesser cure potions do keep a human heart beating for a whole day at least, although it could be for longer. Alas, the unpredictableness of the elixir’s duration of effect seems to be it’s largest caveat (aside from its cost in gold pieces).

But what I have not announced to my colleagues yet is how to reliably stabilize the potion’s duration into a stable vivification elixir. All it requires is one portion of vinegar, another of willow bark infusion, one gram of dried green mold powder and ten drops of a tincture prepared with the resin of a poppy’s seed pod per vat. This broth allows the elixir’s duration to last for at least two days, sometimes a little longer. However it’s maximum duration, which appears to be little more than four days, is not affected at all.

These improvements are merely a partial success, but counting with a beating heart for two days instead of one is nevertheless a major breakthrough in this trade. And this is why some secrets are better to be kept as such."

(…)“If the host is alive, limbs always come off first. Tourniquets must always be applied to keep the blood inside the body. Second, open the host’s chest, moisture it with vinegar and then remove the heart and lungs both at the same time. Head must come next and it is better removed with a claymore much like in a decapitation.

As long as the gallbladder is intact, the remaining abdominal organella, such as the liver, kidneys and intestine handle the lack of blood well for an hour or so and need not be removed with haste. The remaining bones keep their marrow moist for about a day and need not be harvested in the same day. The gallbladder (as well as the spleen) contain many humours and must be promptly discarded."

(…)“A few drops of belladonna extract added to the elixir in the heart container seem to accelerate it’s heartbeat. Too much of it will reduce its lifetime by a day, if not kill it. Dilluted foxglove tincture appears to have the opposite effect of belladonna. It even allows the heart to extend its lifespan by four to six hours. However, it is also poisonous in excess and it is too difficult to prepare a non-toxic tincture out of it.”

(…)“The Gods have granted me the opportunity of a lifetime today. A whole family of humans have stumbled in our necrolatory and my servants were able to capture most of them. A male, a female swollen with unborn child, a child and an elder. It was a pity my servants had to beat the male to a pulp before capturing it, because his arms were just perfect for my next project.”

(…)“Damnation! Those brutes managed to cut through the female uterus and the fetus was lost. I will not tolerate such losses any longer – it could have been the first child born out of a vat. It was a tremendous opportunity to waste!

After the loss of the fetus, i personally oversaw the processing of the child. Both him and his young mother have provided me with the noblest organs I have worked with in a long time. I feel this is the proper time and place to finally begin experimentation. Homari’s adept experience with Wolpertinger was already a notable feat of vivification, but no one has yet presented the worlds with a living humanoid thrull after the age of Man. And perhaps I’ll become the first."

(…)“After nearly a fourteen hours of surgery, I think I have finally been successful in reproducing the first Thrull in over six centuries. I was wise enough to use the child’s organs before the lungs degraded. After removing the spine, I was able to reconfigure the child’s carcass into a roughly tetrahedronic shape and reassemble the head, heart and lungs into it. The implantation of the four arms onto each surface was tricky but performed with perfection. The hardest part was to find a place for the genitalia, and I don’t think this thrull will be able to reproduce itself just yet.

It’s amazing. I’m almost certain the thrull’s brain still bears memories fromhis previous life as a child. It screams uncontrollably and cries beyond confort with laudanum tincture. I had to leave it inside the vat so it can regenerate. Tomorrow I shall see what it is capable of."

(…)“It is strange. The thrull’s face was ageing quickly, about one year per hour for the last day, but it seems it has finally stopped. It appears it has matched the age of the remaining limbs. His face now resembles that of an overgrown child, with both male and female arms. I still wonder why this has happened. The thrull still requires frequent baths with elixir to soothe his wounds, but I think soon he may leave his vat behind. Our Mistress will be most pleased.”

(…)“It speaks but I cannot understand it. It listens, but I cannot tell whether it understands or not. It becomes violent for no apparent reason, and has apparently learned how to manipulate objects. This thrull has ruined two of my vats, as well as a countless number of other human tissues and limbs from the last mititia party. This will be a major drawback in the future creation of a thrull. Can it be taught? Perhaps it can, but only by force.”

(…)“The creature has been… encouraged not to enter the vat room without supervision from a servant. Some of his stitches have ruptured with the beating, but I have managed to saw them back to place. Mistress has required me to share my findings and procedures with the remaining adepts, but I don’t think I should take the thrull with me yet. At least not now when he is so bruised up.”

(…)“Today I was persuaded to tell the others about my improvements regarding the elixir vitae formula. I have also shared the surgical procedure from which I have created my thrull. Of course they all envy me now for being able to do it before them, but they demand to see the creature. Mistress does wish so as well, so I will have to comply."